Public sector strikes, inflation, fuel protests, and a terminally unpopular Labour government. "My name is Gordon Brown. I had an accident, and I woke up in 1978. Am I mad, in a coma, or back in time? Whatever's happened, it's like I've landed on a different planet. Now, maybe if I can work out the reason, I can get home."

There are times when national commentators are obsessed with one topic but you're brought down to earth by talking to real people about their real issues; not detente but dog dirt, less about the economic cycle and more about cycling on the pavement.

Not last night. We were out campaigning on estates in Finsbury with our Save Goswell Road post office petition. Islington has already lost 12 post offices under Labour; just when it seems there are no more post offices to close, the Post Office comes up with unlucky number 13. Everyone was keen to sign the petition. But the issue that kept coming up was the economy, stupid.

There's the woman whose bank want to charge £2k to renew her mortgage deal and the students struggling to find somewhere to live next year. A housebound pensioner and a pregnant woman both terrified about rising fuel costs; another woman worried about keeping her job; their neighbour, a painter & decorator, angry about tax.

Labour's big selling point - economic competence - is becoming their biggest weakness; and it's moved from the headlines to the doorsteps.

All governments go through bad patches, but this time it's not just the voters who have lost faith: Labour have got to the point where they seem to have lost faith in themselves. Cancelling their spring conference is the latest humiliation.

They seem to be losing their judgment too.

Take Heathrow. Airport expansion is directly at odds with fighting climate change; grafting another airport the size of Gatwick onto Heathrow is deeply unpopular with Londoners.

After all, if the summer holiday queues already building at the London Dungeon are anything to go by, sadly, gore is not a bore.

Meanwhile, the same Labour MPs who voted for the abolition of the 10p tax rate last year, and against more money for affordable housing in March, voted for the "John Lewis list" in July. I don't know if they are mad or in a coma; but I doubt they can find their way back now.

Finally back to cycling on the pavement. We've just had our latest safer neighbourhood team meeting, where we meet the local police to talk about crime in our area. Every meeting somebody complains about cyclists on the pavement or jumping red lights; every meeting the police regret that it's not a priority. With such establishment figures as the leader of the opposition and London's first citizen both caught in the act, it seems this is one area where the law just doesn't apply.

I'm still in the camp that believes cyclists are more sinned against than sinning - see the Warrington Cycle Campaign's facility of the month if you doubt it - but as the case of Rhiannon Bennett shows, it's is not always a victimless crime. Well, our local police team is now acting. Their last clampdown saw 30 penalty notices issued in one session, and they're planning more. Boris beware!